Dawn sat on the bus with her classmates around her. They were all noisy with excitement; this wasn't hard to do, granted, since high school students are always happy to get out of school. They were going to a sleepy little area known as Sea Spray Valley. The town they were visiting was a preserved 19th century Californian fishing town. The town was a tourist attraction known as Villa Bay.
The class was going in order to draw. Actually the students had persuaded the art teacher, to take them out of the school district and on a field trip. In order to make it look somewhat academic, Mr. Kenner, the art teacher, had them go to Villa Bay in order to draw landscapes, houses or anything else that struck their fancy.
As Dawn stepped off of the school bus, happy to be able to hear her own thoughts now, the salty air hit her. As she breathed it in, she remembered when her family had gone to Long Beach. But that was the past, a far gone past, a past that may never of happened. When Dawn felt the tears beginning to burn her eyes, she wiped them furiously. That was then, this was now, and her mother was gone. It had been over a year; she had to move on.
Following her classmates she drank in the simple beauty of a time long ago. With the ocean's waves lapping down at the harbor, it made an eerie song that seemed to lull many people under its spell. Many people turned and watched as seagulls circled around a rock that was off to the side of the harbor.
"It's beautiful, but sad," one girl off to Dawn's left, remarked breathless. Indeed it was sad, Dawn's heart wrenched when all of the seagulls called at the same time and then flew away. She shivered, that had been spooky.
"Ah, I see you have seen the mermaid's dance," the tour guide came over to the group of art students.
"The mermaid's dance? Sounds kinky," a boy off to the left of Dawn, named Jason, snickered to himself.
"It's anything but. It's mostly about a love gone wrong really," the tour guide sighed as looked at the group of students. "When the tow was just starting to take shape, about 1870, a young couple came to town. Lorelei, was a southern girl and her beau was a man by the name of Luke, who had been a Union soldier. They had run away together, in order to live happily ever after. Unfortunately that was not the case, Luke ended up leaving her at the altar, since he had fallen in love with a barmaid. Lorelei wandered the town, her heart broken, mad with grief. One day she went out to that rock you see out there, and she was never seen again. Most likely she died and her body was washed out to sea," the tour guide finished Lorelei's tale.
Dawn shivered as a cold wind blew off the water. That would be a terrible way to die, with a broken hear. This fact almost made Dawn hope she would never experience love, just to make sure she never would experience that kind of pain.
"There's more you know. Lorelei's supposed bridegroom went mad, saying that his house was haunted. One day they found him in his bed, his eyes open in fright. Many people though he died of fright, even though the doctor diagnosed heart failure," the tour guide finished the gruesome tale.
"So is there, like, a ghost?" Sarah, a girl with as little brains as she had common sense.
The tour guide nodded, "People of seen Lorelei of the sea. I've had a few encounters with her myself, but she's a peaceful soul, save for the one time when she did axe her lover. But treat her with respect, even if you don't believe.
The group nodded enthusiastically, this was way better than school. As the group wandered thought the town, they all remarked on what they think they would like to draw. Dawn went with a group that went towards the harbor, where two life-size model ships were anchored.
Taking out her sketchpad, and her pencils out, Dawn started to draw. Starting out with the sky, Dawn drew what she thought it would look like during the sunset. Then the ocean was put in, as high tide, with foam caps. Then the rock itself, a gray slab, that formed a chair rock shape and finally Dawn drew Lorelei, with a dress about her ankles, wet with seawater.
Slowly, Dawn ripped the sheet out and started to redo it, this time with a set of lines instead of sketches. She added color with the colored pencils she kept in her case. Slowly the pinks and reds of a sunset came together and the blue waters lapped gently against the grayish rock that the grieving Lorelei spent her last hours. Lorelei's dress became a washed out gray, too hard to distinguish the faded color. The seawater wet the skirts and the bodice was dry by the setting sun.
When Dawn looked up, bat to the rock, when she gasped. There was a person out there, long dark hair with a faded dress. In a blink, the vision was gone, but a mournful sound was left, only to be swept away by the wind.
Dawn stood up and walked off a bit and stood between two houses. Pulling out her cell phone, she dialed her sister. Buffy owned her a favor. After explaining the situation, granted, if Dawn wanted to exorcise Lorelei, she would have to improvise. After Dawn wrote down the directions she was given, she hurried toward the Salty Dog, the main restaurant.
Sitting down, Dawn once again opened her sketchpad. She past the still of Tara sleeping in her moon and star pajama bottoms and a Hard Rock Café tank top. The next one was of Spike, a cigarette in his mouth and a mug in his hand. The next picture was of a rose. A yellow one, in full bloom. The next and last one was of the girl on the rock.
"You captured Lorelei's spirit wonderfully," a voice said from behind Dawn. She jumped and the tour guide just laughed. "It's very beautiful, but very sad. Have you visited here before?"
Dawn shook her head, still embarrassed. "Never been here before. Now if you excuse me, I have to see my teacher," Dawn blushed once more and went to talk to Mr. Kendre.
By talking to hear teacher, Dawn found out that she had about an hour and a half to wander around and explore the houses. Walking down the streets, Dawn finally chose one of the houses to explore. It was light blue, with white trim that was shaded by mature oaks. As she walked though it, she felt someone, or something, watching her.
Even thou no one were there, she couldn't shake the feeling, but she could not stop herself from exploring the reconstructed home. As she walked upstairs she could not help but feel deep sorrow. She stepped onto the small balcony that she remembered was called a widow's walk.
After admiring the view she turned back to the house, but an apparition stopped her from doing so. The apparition smiled, revealing some crooked teeth, but it was a smile none the less. "Don't be afraid bright one," it said.
Dawn's eyes widened, "Huh?" she squeaked out.
The apparition shook its head; "You know what I'm talking about. Don't play dumb."
"Um, okay. Hello? Dawn sighed, still unnerved.
The apparition walked into the house and Dawn followed instinctively, "Do you know who I am?" it asked of the teenage girl.
"Lorelei, Lorelei of the Sea?" Dawn guessed and sighed as the apparition, Lorelei, nodded.
"Yes, Lorelei of the sea, the resident ghost of Villa Bay," Lorelei fully introduced herself.
"And you're proud of that?" Dawn asked, surprised.
"Of course! I stir a little something up and the tourists come, bringing money. If it wasn't for me, these people would have very little do," she gave a mischievous grin.
"But didn't' you kill someone?" Dawn was confused, but she wanted to clear this up.
"Of course. The broad entrapped him really. She said she was pregnant, so he would have to marry her. I just did what was needed," Lorelei shrugged.
Dawn swallowed, that sounded a little homicidal to her ears, "Yeah, but you haven't hurt anyone since, right?"
The apparition shook her head, "Why? It's just more fun creating small problems. It makes them listen to me."
Dawn sighed, and thought about what her friend told her about ghosts. They couldn't talk, and they rarely had enough energy to form into any kind of shape, so what the hell was happening now? "I thought ghosts couldn't talk," Dawn stated bluntly.
Lorelei smiled, "You're very much like me, a ball of energy in a form. You're a clairvoyant, and a rather good one, just don't go on the circuit like that John Edwards fellow, he's just annoying."
Dawn was surprised, "I see dead people?"
Lorelei nodded, "I guess," and she disappeared, leaving a sea gull's feather at Dawn's feet.
Picking it up, Dawn stuck it into her sketchbook and turned around. She noticed she had a clear view of the harbor. The sea gulls rose up, crying and Dawn could see the flittering braid of Lorelei. And then she disappeared from Dawn's eyes, forever.